166 - LASTING IMPROVEMENT OF ASSOCIATIVE MEMORY AND ALTERED BRAIN ACTIVITY IN OLDER ADULTS THROUGH REPETITIVE TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION (RTMS)
Abstract
Aims
Cognitive decline is part of normal aging accompanied by alterations of large-scale brain connectivity supporting high-level cognition. Associative memory is one of the cognitive domains most vulnerable to aging. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is critically involved in associative memory and other core cognitive processes, and it is accessible by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Given that studies using rTMS to improve associative memory along with altered brain plasticity in healthy older adults have been lacking, we applied rTMS to the right DLPFC of normal older adults in a double-blind design with well-matched experimental and sham groups.
Methods
Both groups participated in active rTMS or sham stimulation for two weeks. There were 10 daily stimulation sessions, with 5 sessions in each week. All participants completed a battery of neuropsychological tests and MRI scanning individually at the pre-intervention (baseline) and post-intervention assessment (post-test).
Results
Multiple-session rTMS on right DLPFC improved associative memory performance and concomitantly altered localized spontaneous brain activity. The altered functional plasticity changes significantly contributed to associative memory improvement. Importantly, the cognitive enhancement persisted six months after the brain stimulation.
Conclusions
These findings indicate that targeted rTMS can modulate functional plasticity to improve cognition in the aging brain.
